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Science Section => Science General Discussion => Biology, Psychology & Medicine => Topic started by: Solitary on September 12, 2013, 02:05:50 PM

Title: A thought I Had Last Night
Post by: Solitary on September 12, 2013, 02:05:50 PM
I was trying to fall asleep last night and realized I'm never really alone in my angst about the human condition. On the average we have 10 to the 14th power of bacteria that are little bits of life---a membrane, a chromosome, a few ribosomes, for making proteins, and a  lot of enzymes. Bacteria live pretty much everywhere, including on us and in us. Now 10 to the 14th power of bacteria is more than there are stars in the universe or grains of sand in a square mile of beach. We live because they do and die to protect us. We are more than the sum of our parts. We are composed of other living things that reproduce and die to keep us alive.  :-k  :-&  Bacteria are immortal unless destroyed by something that kills them, they don't grow old and die like we do.

Even a very large man has only about 10 to the 13th power to 10 to the 14th power of cells in his body.  What is amazing is that this is only 10-50 % of the cells that occupies the space we call our bodies. One-half to 90 percent of the cells of our bodies don't in fact belong to us and are separate living things feeding on us in one way or another. What is the smallest piece of me or you that still qualifies us as me? We are the ultimate ethnic minority. We are a comunity, an entire ecosystem. When we die we will leave behind 100,000,000,000,000 living things and even if cremated leaving behind 10 to the 12th power of living things that were part of us rising in a cloud of smoke.  :shock:  8-[   Solitary
Title: Re: A thought I Had Last Night
Post by: Hydra009 on September 12, 2013, 04:07:25 PM
And not only are human beings a composite of eukaryotic cells and bacteria, but the eukaryotic cells themselves contain endosymbiotic bacteria.
Title: Re: A thought I Had Last Night
Post by: aitm on September 12, 2013, 05:49:09 PM
I once suggested that evolution was in fact whatever the micro world decided to build next. Nothing is an individual "thing" we are all mere vessels for the micro world to live in and on. The micro world turns us on and can turn us off.
Title: Re: A thought I Had Last Night
Post by: Bobbotov on September 12, 2013, 08:00:13 PM
And to think that all of those microbes do not even believe in God.
Title: Re: A thought I Had Last Night
Post by: LikelyToBreak on September 12, 2013, 08:23:58 PM
I have heard it suggested, the purpose of humans is to house bacteria.  Well, why not?
Title: Re: A thought I Had Last Night
Post by: AllPurposeAtheist on September 12, 2013, 10:11:22 PM
Which is why you should wash your hands several times a day or the bacteria will take over and take all the jobs jobs jobs!
Title: Re: A thought I Had Last Night
Post by: Colanth on September 12, 2013, 10:15:55 PM
Quote from: "LikelyToBreak"I have heard it suggested, the purpose of humans is to house bacteria.  Well, why not?
The purpose of humans is to assure the propagation of genes.  They run the world.  All hail the gene.